Seoul Park Dispute Exposes South Korea’s Housing Supply Trade-Off

Seoul, 22 September 2026 – A dispute over Seoul’s Yongsan Park has turned a familiar urban-planning question into a test of South Korea’s housing policy: how much scarce central land should be reserved for public green space when apartment prices keep rising. President Lee Jae Myung has proposed allowing homes on part of the site, while Mayor Oh Se-hoon opposes using the planned park for apartment towers. Neither proposal should be treated as a settled development pipeline. The confrontation matters because land supply, legal protection and political consent must align before construction can begin.

The site covers roughly 300 hectares near the Han River and has a long history as a military base. Its planned conversion to public open space has been central to the city’s liveability ambitions. Oh argues that Seoul already has too little greenery available for everyday use and says environmental remediation is needed. Lee’s position reflects pressure to add homes as affordability worsens. Building on the park would require action by the National Assembly because the area is protected by law.